


Sparkling Eyes and Gut Feelings

by aitomation



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Against a Wall, And Everyone Trusts Her With Their Secrets, Brief Telepathy, Canon Compliant, Crushes, Cuddling & Snuggling, Deleted Scene Treated as Canon, Deleted Scenes, Drift Hangover, Flirting, Getting Together, Hermann Gottlieb's Pretty Eyelashes, Incredibly Brief Mention of Lars Gottlieb, M/M, Mako Is A Good Friend, Massage, Mischievous Mako, Napping, NewRaMann, No Longer In The Lab, Pining, Polyamory, Post-Canon, Pronounced New Ramen, Rivalry, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, The Lab Couch, Trans Hermann Gottlieb, Trans Male Character, Trans Newton Geiszler, Very Tame Makeouts, WALL-E (2008) References, While Watching WALL-E, trans raleigh becket
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 15:44:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18968305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aitomation/pseuds/aitomation
Summary: Raleigh Becket never expected to return to the PPDC. Since his return, a lot of unexpected things have happened. The apocalypse can't stop humanity, and what is more human than falling in love?He could get used to the unexpected.





	Sparkling Eyes and Gut Feelings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [impromptubeandip](https://archiveofourown.org/users/impromptubeandip/gifts).



> happy birthday jim u wonderful amazing friend u!!!!!! i appreciate ur patience n i love n respect u immensely <33 n i hope u enjoy ur present to u!!!

Raleigh looked around quizzically as they approached the elevator. The dome didn’t look all that different at first glance, but the more he looked the more changes he saw. It seemed like there were fewer people somehow, despite all the remaining Shatterdome staff being relocated here. That didn’t stop it from being loud and crowded though. He was grateful to walk into the elevator hall, where most of the white noise was cut down by all the steel.

Stacker and Mako led him to the large main elevator, which was ringed with glowing yellow tanks. As Raleigh approached one to squint at the specimen inside, he heard a bit of commotion from the entryway.

“Hold the door please!” a voice called, as two disheveled men came barreling through the hall. The second one, his parka drenched and dripping on the floor, cane squeaking against the tile, called “thank you,” three separate times as he came through the door. The first one, the shorter one who had called out, shook off his umbrella as he approached. “Kaiju specimens are extremely rare,” he started, looking at Raleigh, “so look,” here he raised a finger as his voice jumped an octave, “but don’t touch, please.”

“Mister Becket, this is our research division, Doctor Geiszler and Doctor Gottlieb,” Stacker said coolly.

“Oh, nah. Call me Newt. Only my mother calls me ‘doctor,’” Newt chuckled at his own joke as he slipped out of his leather jacket. He turned to the other guy, who was busying himself with one of the tanks. “Hermann, these are human beings, why don’t you say hello?”

“Newton, I have asked you not to refer to me by my first name in front of others,” he said immediately, his lip curling over his crisp English accent. Raleigh raised a brow. Doctor Gottlieb pointed a finger at Newt as he continued, “I am a doctor with over ten years of decorated experience-”

“Oh yes, ten years of experience, I’m very sorry,” Newt said, talking over Doctor Gottlieb in a horrible fake British accent. He unbuttoned the cuffs of his button down and started rolling up his sleeves. “Jeez,” he muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes. Raleigh’s eyes tracked Newt’s hands. With every bit of sleeve Newt rolled up, he displayed vibrant tattoos of the Kaiju on his forearms. A quick glance showed at least one more creeping up his neck.

“Who is that, Yamarashi?” Raleigh asked, gesturing to Newt’s forearm with his head.

“Oh, this little Kaiju?” Newt said, pointing at the portrait. “Yeah, you got a good eye.”

“My brother and I took him down in 2017.”

“You know he was one of the biggest category three’s ever?” Newt asked. There was a certain sparkle in his eye. “He was two thousand, five hundred tons of awesome.” There was an awful pause, the silence heavy, before Newt took in a breath. “Or awful, you know-” he started, before Doctor Gottlieb cut him off.

“Excuse him,” he said shortly, looking at Raleigh, “he’s a Kaiju groupie, he loves them.” His tone was gruff and condescending. Raleigh could tell the phrase was parroted, obviously chosen to get a rise out of Newt. Raleigh couldn’t help but notice the difference in his accent on the word “groupie.”

“Shut up Hermann, I don’t love them. Okay?” Newt snapped, voice cold. This was obviously a conversation he’d had many times. “I study them.” Some of the excitement started to leak back into his voice as he continued, “And unlike most people, I wanna see one alive, and up close one day.” He chuckled a little again, and Raleigh almost felt bad for him. He clapped Newt on the shoulder, smiled almost condescendingly.

“Trust me, you don’t want to.” Raleigh turned and followed the Marshal down the long hallway. After a moment, Newt darted after him.

“No, hey, excuse me! I’m sorry, excuse me, uh, hey, uh guy?” He called, raising a hand in the air. Raleigh turned back to him, raising a brow at the moniker. Newt continued, “The Kaiju are the most immense, complex living entities ever to walk the earth, and guys like you, you don’t know anything about them. See, the way I see it, is if you wanna stop them,” here Newt spread his arms, smiling smugly-it made him look like a chipmunk, “you have to understand them.”

“Right,” Raleigh said dismissively. “Or we could just blow em to pieces.” Newt bristled, his mouth falling open in shock and offense.

“Oh, that’s brilliant. Why didn’t I think of that?!” Newt shouted, his voice jumping an octave. “Let’s just blow them to chunks, that’s great!” Raleigh smirked, retort ready on his tongue.

“Gentlemen,” Stacker called, effectively changing the subject. “Debrief in ten.” Doctor Gottlieb scrambled to salute-English salute with his left hand, Raleigh noticed.

“Sir,” he said, a different sort of edge in his voice.

“Be ready,” Stacker finished, with a raise of his eyebrows. He turned back down the corridor, and Raleigh followed. Newt retreated back to the elevator, admonishing Doctor Gottlieb.

“What are you doing? You look like an idiot, put your hand down, you’re not an officer, you don’t need to salute anyone.” Raleigh smiled to himself and bit down on a chuckle. He resisted the urge to turn back and see what kind of look that particular comment put on Doctor Gottlieb’s face. “What a jerk that guy was,” he heard Newt mumble as the elevator doors slid closed. He couldn’t hold back a laugh at that, and Stacker glanced at him as they rounded the corner.

“That’s your research division?” Raleigh asked, voice clearly amused. The strong affection gripping his chest went resolutely ignored.

 

Raleigh didn’t have time to think about the weird scientists until he was shepherded into his room; until he shut the door on Mako’s knowing gaze. There was something about her-and something about them-that felt like it was worming its way under his skin. It felt like it knew too much. It was sort of exhilarating.

Raleigh slumped onto his bed before he even had his sweater on all the way. He was suddenly exhausted. And he found himself thinking about them again-Newt and Doctor Gottlieb. Newt was loud, and abrasive, and a special kind of stupid. Stacker had told him that Newt was a genius, had six PhDs, but that his ideas often seemed odd, at worst dangerous or ridiculous, but that he always got the job done. Raleigh looked at Newt and saw his younger self-wide-eyed and full of awe at the unknown, feeling untouchable. It was hard to believe Newt was any older than him.

And then there was Doctor Gottlieb. He seemed so uptight, sticking by rules that no one else knew; buttoned-up and fractious and full of energy he didn’t know how to expend. Mako had said his father was a supporter of The Wall-and that they weren’t on speaking terms. Raleigh understood that. All the years he spent working on The Wall were useless and he knew it; that had been part of the appeal. Just busywork. He couldn’t imagine being in Doctor Gottlieb’s position.

It felt strange to Raleigh, feeling like he knew these men even though they had just met. That had been happening to him a lot today. It felt strange thinking about the way Mako’s hair fell into her face and she moved it delicately behind her ear, even though she walked with power and poise equal to any of the other military personnel in the Dome. It felt strange thinking about the way Newt’s muscles worked under his tattoos, even as he parsed the difficult feelings the tattoos bloomed in his gut. It felt strange thinking about Doctor Gottlieb’s mouth curling around his insults, and his eyelashes fluttering against his pale skin painted almost sickly by the yellow glow of the specimen tanks. Raleigh sighed and rolled toward the wall. He thought he would be used to strange feelings by now.

 

It was surprisingly easy to find excuses to go down to the K-Science lab. After the morning sparring session, he had some time to kill, and the J-Techs all moaned and grumbled when something had to be walked down there. Apparently it wasn’t a popular job. Raleigh almost got lost several times wandering his way through the basement level, but it was impossible to miss the entrance to the lab: a huge steel-lined arch that practically glowed with all the extra lighting inside. He wasn’t surprised to hear arguing seeping into the hallway, and he struggled to keep a smile off his face as he crossed the threshold.

“Doctors Geiszler and Gottlieb, you in?” he called, possibly louder than necessary. His voice echoed off the high, cavernous ceilings, and bounced back at him; quickly drowned out the existing shouts.

“Mister Becket,” Doctor Gottlieb sniffed. He was clutching a piece of chalk in one trembling fist.

“It’s just Newt dude,” Newt called at the same time. He tossed a slimy handful of what Raleigh assumed were Kaiju parts at a nearby table. They just missed the edge and slopped onto the floor with a wet splat. Raleigh winced.

“How can we help you?” Doctor Gottlieb asked sharply. He was eyeing the pile of viscera on the floor; but didn’t move from his position about halfway up one of his tall ladders. Raleigh watched him shift his weight almost unconsciously.

“Got a memo from J-Tech, addressed to the both of you. Tendo sent it down himself.”

“Is it my requisition approval?” Newt asked, voice laced with excitement. He threw off a pair of rubber gloves (which also hit the ground with a sickening noise) and quickly moved to Raleigh’s side. As he approached, he flicked off a shining headlamp and pulled down a pair of goggles to reveal deep indents around his sparkling eyes. Raleigh squinted at him, at the weird feeling in his chest.

“It is probably just the memo from our presentation to the Marshal, Newton,” Doctor Gottlieb grumbled. He also approached Raleigh, carefully lowering himself from the ladder to grab his cane before he started the trek to the door. Raleigh leaned back, his heart fluttering, when both men leaned into his personal space to read the form, rather than take it from his hands.

“That’s lame,” Newt announced, glumly returning to his dissection table. “I’m this close,” he pinched the thumb and index finger of one hand together, “to figuring all this out.”

“I’m sure you are,” Doctor Gottlieb mumbled under his breath. He gently pulled the form from Raleigh’s hands, making sure they didn’t touch. Raleigh exhaled when he walked away with it. “It is as I said,” Doctor Gottlieb announced at his regular speaking volume. “A summary of our presentations. He is using my data.” It was nearly impossible to miss the smugness in Doctor Gottlieb’s voice. Newt stuck his tongue out at him, which startled a chuckle out of Raleigh.

“He picked your data for the final attack? Impressive,” he said. Doctor Gottlieb turned to eye him up and down; his face twitched slightly before smoothing out. He turned to walk slowly back to his chalkboards and Raleigh watched him go. He stood staring at Doctor Gottlieb, who was staring at his equations deep in thought, until something collided with the side of his head. Raleigh quickly turned to see a stress ball (colored to look like the moon) rolling away from him.

“Did you need anything else?” Newt asked, in a tone that could only be called hostile. His hand flexed at his side, this time holding a stapler.

“No,” Raleigh muttered, “I’ll just be going.”

“You get on that.” Newt watched him go, a heavy feeling in his chest. Raleigh quickly made his way back to the elevators. That had been interesting. Enlightening. He’d have to find another reason to visit the good doctors soon.

 

The rest of the day was more than enough to distract Raleigh from his newfound personal life. The failed drift with Mako, his fight with Chuck, the Marshal grounding the Lady-it was all rolling around in his head. He almost forgot to be excited when Tendo sent him back down to the lab with another form. Raleigh knew it was a thinly-veiled attempt to distract him-a way to get his seething away from J-Tech for a few minutes so Tendo could focus on the deployed Jaegers. He happily went anyway.

The lab was suspiciously quiet as Raleigh approached this time. When he rounded the corner, Doctor Gottlieb was banging on the keys to his computer; repeatedly backspacing and rewriting what seemed like entire sentences with trembling hands. Raleigh glanced briefly at Newt, who was bouncing around the far end of his side of the lab, before he made his way over to Doctor Gottlieb’s desk.

“For you,” Raleigh said quietly, trying not to startle him out of the revere he was obviously in. He brandished the papers, patiently waiting as Doctor Gottlieb blinked a few times as he processed Raleigh’s statement. “From J-Tech,” Raleigh prompted. Doctor Gottlieb inclined his head slightly, looking just past Raleigh’s shoulder. His eyes were wide, clouded with worry-wonderfully framed by his long, dark eyelashes and the round glasses at the end of his nose. He took the papers with one hand, the other was pressed firmly against his thigh-Raleigh made a mental note of that.

“Thank you, Mister Becket,” Doctor Gottlieb said, just as quietly.

“Anything for you, Doctor Gottlieb.” Raleigh winked. Hermann hummed, his lips twitching in what Raleigh figured was the start of an exhausted smile. Raleigh looked over his shoulder to smile smugly at Newt, who was visibly seething. He also looked strange, darting about between his machines (had that one been there this morning?), muttering to himself, doubling back to redo or finish things he had abandoned as new thoughts hit him. If Raleigh squinted, he thought Newt’s face looked different-darker somehow. He willed himself to push the beginnings of worry to the back of his mind as he left the lab, tossing a quick wave in Doctor Gottlieb’s direction.

Raleigh stumbled when he rounded the corner and someone barreled right into him. He reached out his hands to keep whoever it was from falling and only flinched a little when they swatted his hands away harshly.

“Don’t touch me!” Newt shouted, curling in on himself a little. Raleigh quickly went from annoyed to worried when he saw the way Newt was shaking where he stood. There was blood smeared at his collar, dirt and oil staining his twitching fingers.

“What happened to you?” Raleigh asked, trying to make his concern as evident as possible. “I was right,” Newt said, smiling triumphantly, even though the movement cause him to wince ever so slightly. “Now, I’ve got a special mission from Pentecost, so if you’ll excuse me.” Newt made to push past Raleigh and continue down the hall, but Raleigh easily yanked him to one side by the untucked tail of his shirt.

“Where do you think you’re going? You’re not fit for duty.” Raleigh hovered over him, blocking his means of escape.

“What are you, my mom?” Newt spat. He pressed himself against the wall. “And in case you’ve forgotten, guy, I’m not a soldier. You have no power over me. Even if I was a soldier, I’d outrank you!” His voice was a screech as he moved to shove at Raleigh’s shoulders. Raleigh stood fast, even though Newt did manage to move him a little.

“What does Doctor Gottlieb think about you running off like this?” Raleigh challenged. He felt Newt tense against him.

“He’s not in charge of me either,” Newt said, dangerously low.

“He seems like a nice guy. He’d want you to get checked out before you went.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Newt snapped. His trembling was getting worse as he seemed to be getting more upset. “How do you know what Hermann would want?” Raleigh raised his hands in a placating gesture.

“I didn’t mean to assume anything. I’m just worried about you.” Why was he so worried?

“Well stop it!” Newt shouted. “I’m an adult and I can handle myself. And stay away from Hermann, guy. Why don’t you go ruin someone else’s life?”

“Excuse me?” Raleigh asked, taken aback.

“You’re not allowed to take him from me! You act like you care about him so you can squirrel your way in and ruin what I’ve managed to get and you’re not allowed to do that!” Raleigh chuckled and Newt bristled.

“Says who?” Raleigh challenged, bringing himself up to his full height. That wasn’t what he was trying to do at all, and he couldn’t stop the surge of anger that ran through him when Newt suggested he would be so shallow and cruel. Sure, he thought Doctor Gottlieb was interesting, cute even, but it was probably a passing infatuation. He was teasing Newt, he wasn’t out to “ruin his life.”

“Says me!” Newt snapped, voice shrill. “Hermann only looks at me to yell at me, and you come rolling in here with your muscles and your charming smile and your stupid ambiguous accent and you make him smile!” Newt’s voice broke on his last word. His face did something complicated. He bit his lower lip before he deflated. Raleigh looked at him, really examined him. He smiled slightly.

“You think my smile’s charming?”

“Oh fuck you,” Newt grumbled. Raleigh let them sit in silence for a moment before he spoke.

“I’m not trying to ruin your relationship with Doctor Gottlieb,” he said quietly.

“Whatever. It’s not even a relationship. I just want him to be happy.” He dropped into a croaky whisper that held the beginnings of tears in it. “And I wish he could be happy with me.” Raleigh puffed out a breath. His chest was tight and his gut rolled. He took a few steps back and turned to let Newt free.

“You’ve got a special mission right? Go ahead. You’re obviously fine.” Raleigh tried to sound as unaffected as possible. He pretended not to notice Newt swiping frantically at his eyes. He watched Newt stumble down the hallway, still concerned for his well being.

“I’m not giving up that easy, guy,” Newt called, not looking back. Raleigh smiled.

“I wouldn’t want you to,” he called back.

 

In all the excitement of closing the Breach, getting poked and prodded and then cleared by Medical, and assisting with reports and wrap-up, Raleigh had almost forgotten about his little rivalry with Newt. Almost. But the more gossip he heard around the Dome, the more he started to feel guilty. People were saying that Newt had actually drifted with a Kaiju brain, that Newt had nearly gotten himself killed in the city during the attacks, that Newt and Hermann had drifted together for some reason. When Raleigh had asked how that was possible, the J-Technician he was talking to had shrugged.

“They’re a pair, those two. It’s not really that surprising.” Raleigh wondered if that was true. Newt hadn’t seemed too convinced of his place in Doctor Gottlieb’s life. He supposed he could see it though-they argued so well, and wasn’t that just another form of sparring?

He passed Newt and Doctor Gottlieb in the halls a few times over the next two weeks. He always had a smile for Doctor Gottlieb; occasionally a companionable clap on the shoulder, or nudge with an arm. Newt’s smile only tightened marginally when he did it, and it felt different somehow. They were always together.

Raleigh only saw them apart one time in weeks. He passed Newt as he was rounding the corner, leaving the mess hall. He immediately turned to start walking at his side.

“And how are you doing today, Doctor Geiszler?” he asked, voice even.

“Don’t call me that,” Newt said. All the tension was drained out of his voice. He was nearly smiling.

“How are you, Newt?” Raleigh repeated, searching Newt’s face. Newt rolled his eyes and it almost looked fond.

“I’m doin pretty good, guy, thanks for asking. Finally got cleared by medical. Very low possibility of repeat seizures.”

“You had a seizure?” Raleigh asked, voice now bleeding with concern. “When did that happen?” Newt blinked.

“Probably fifteen minutes before you came down with that form for Hermann. You didn’t know? I thought everybody would know by now. Tendo loves to gossip, only with stuff that’s true though.” Newt shrugged casually as they rounded a corner together. “Kaiju brain. Not even once,” Newt muttered, chuckling at himself. They turned down a more secluded hallway, one with softer lights, and Newt relaxed tension in his shoulders Raleigh hadn’t realized he was carrying. Raleigh was still gobsmacked. The rumors were true, and Newt drifted solo with a Kaiju brain, and he was acting like it was nothing. If those rumors were true, were all of them? Had Doctor Gottlieb also drifted with a Kaiju? Was he okay? Raleigh realized suddenly that he hadn’t spoken in quite some time.

“Why did you get those tattoos?” he asked.

“Why do you care?” Newt snapped, immediately defensive, all traces of his previous good mood gone. Raleigh took a step back, softened his posture; shrugged lightly.

“I’m curious. They’ve obviously caused you a lot of trouble. But you don’t cover them up. Why?”

“I like them,” Newt said simply. Just as Raleigh opened his mouth on a witty retort, Newt sighed. “The Kaiju are… _were_ immensely fascinating creatures.” Raleigh didn’t miss the faint wince when Newt corrected himself. “They were huge and destructive and completely impossible and yet, they existed. The second I saw that footage of Trespasser I knew I had to study them, I had to know more about them.” Newt paused. He shifted his weight; took a breath to keep himself from getting worked up. Raleigh bit down on a fond smile. “They mattered to me. They still do. I don’t want them to be a fleeting interest, like marine bio or medicine or entomology.” Newt ran both hands through his already messy hair. “They’re a memorial,” he finished lamely.

“A memorial to what?”

“To the attacks. The people we lost, of course. To the Kaiju as a whole now.” Newt glared suddenly. “I don’t expect anyone to understand what Hermann and I saw, but we’re a part of them now. They’re never going to go away, no matter how much stupid bastards like you try to forget they ever existed,” Newt’s voice was steadily getting louder and he was visibly getting more hostile, but looking at him Raleigh just felt sad. Newt had tried so hard to understand the Kaiju, for the good of everyone, and no one was ever going to offer him the same courtesy. Except Doctor Gottlieb apparently. As Newt was taking a breath to continue his tirade, Raleigh stepped forward and crowded him against the wall. Newt cut himself off with a squeak, his hands immediately raising to hover around his face.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Raleigh chuckled, speaking just loud enough to be heard.

“Well forgive me for assuming,” Newt huffed, not lowering his hands. “But that’s usually what happens when guys like you get me in this position.”

“Do you get yourself in situations like this often Doctor Geiszler?” Raleigh teased. Color rose quickly to Newt’s round cheeks and Raleigh couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and captured Newt’s lips in a gentle kiss, swallowing Newt’s indignant reply. Raleigh felt Newt relax against him, felt Newt’s hands loosely grip the front of his sweater. Newt whined when Raleigh tugged on his lower lip with his teeth. Raleigh could feel Newt’s knees get weak, and he easily lifted Newt off the ground. Newt groaned and tilted his head just so, wrapped his legs securely around Raleigh’s waist. His hands wandered up Raleigh’s chest, squeezed lightly, pushing a breathy noise out of Raleigh. He chuckled into Raleigh’s mouth, looping his arms around Raleigh’s neck.

Newt tensed suddenly, and then let his head fall back against the wall with a breathy sigh.

“Yeah,” he mumbled at the ceiling, “I told you.”

“What?” Raleigh asked, stopping his ministrations.

“Nothing, not you,” Newt said, trying to get his breathing under control. “That was,” he exhaled sharply, “very good.” He patted one hand against Raleigh’s collar. “Really good. Thanks guy. I gotta, go do lab stuff.” Newt gestured with heavy limbs. “Put me down?” he squeaked. He was resolutely avoiding Raleigh’s eyes.

“Oh, sure, of course,” Raleigh said quickly, scrambling to let Newt free. He felt a rush of guilt and shame through his gut as Newt stood on wobbly legs and started to wander down the corridor. His stumbling reminded Raleigh of the last conversation they’d had in a corridor, before they tried to get themselves killed for the good of humanity. Raleigh sighed heavily and turned sharply, walking at a brisk pace. He found his destination in no time, and knocked crisply one, two, three times. Mako swung her door open almost immediately. She had probably already known he was there even before he knocked. He smiled tiredly and she nodded as a silent permission for him to enter. He trudged into her room, his feet suddenly feeling like lead, and collapsed on her bed.

“I might have made out with Newt a little bit just now.” Mako hummed.

“With Newt? I thought you liked Hermann?” She lilted the end of her statement up to make it sound like a question.

“I do!” Raleigh insisted, flushing. “I just like Newt too. I think.”

“You think,” Mako repeated. She was smiling. “You know it is now common knowledge that the Doctors are dating, Raleigh.” Raleigh moaned miserably, covering his face with his hands.

“I didn’t know that. God, I’m a homewrecker,” Raleigh groaned. Mako couldn’t contain her giggle. Raleigh glared at her through his fingers. She patted him on the knee and rose to stand over him.

“Their home isn’t one that can be wrecked. You are working yourself up for no reason.”

“Why do I feel like you know something that I don’t?” Raleigh asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. Mako giggled again.

“You’ll find out,” she replied cryptically.

 

The next time Raleigh wandered into the dining hall, he saw the doctors sitting at their usual table tucked in the corner, having an animated discussion over their meals. Raleigh could immediately tell the conversation was amiable-Newt gestured like that no matter what he was talking about, and Doctor Gottlieb’s face was twitching in that way that meant he was trying not to smile. Raleigh quickly walked past them and got in the line. When he wandered back out of the line with his tray, Newt was excitedly waving him over.

“Hey big guy!” He called. A few people in the hall turned to look at Raleigh, and he ducked his head to hide his blush.

“Hey Newt. Doctor Gottlieb.” He bowed his head slightly in a pseudo-bow. Doctor Gottlieb waved a hand dismissively.

“Please, call me Hermann, Mister Becket.” Raleigh slid into the seat across from Hermann; next to Newt. The look in Newt’s eye was impossible for him to decipher.

“Something tells me it’ll be useless to try to get you to call me Raleigh,” Raleigh chuckled. Hermann did smile then, a wonderful thing that made his eyes wrinkle at the corners.

“Quite right,” he said, turning back to Newt. “Newton was just trying to convince me that it would be more efficient to repurpose the Shatterdomes than it would be to use their materials to aid in reconstruction efforts. Your thoughts?”

“I don’t think it would be ‘more efficient,’” Newt said, poorly mimicking Hermann’s accent. “I just think it’d be cool if they kept at least one Dome around, made it a museum or something. This one would be perfect, you know, the last stand or whatever.” Raleigh grinned.

Meals with Newt and Hermann became a pretty regular thing for Raleigh. Sometimes Mako or Tendo would join them, but more often than not they ate at such irregular times that it was just the three of them. Newt would start the most strange conversations, and Raleigh would jump into them headfirst-even if sometimes the scientific concepts and theories went over his head. He got to see Hermann smile a lot more; and he often had this special, soft look in his eyes when he looked at Newt. Raleigh politely looked away when they crooned at each other, or started staring into each others’ eyes, seemingly lost in an unspoken conversation. He refused to ask them about their drift, and he refused to try and pursue anything with either of them now that they had confirmed they were dating. He was content to just hang out with them. He liked watching them relax and enjoy themselves-the war had taken a lot from everyone and it was exciting to see the life come back into their eyes.

 

Duties at their Shatterdome were few and far between as clean-up and paperwork were finished. They eagerly awaited orders, but they were waiting on the fractured conglomerate government to come to a consensus, so they took the time to rest. Raleigh started getting restless pretty quickly, enough so that people started to notice. He spent a lot of time in the gym; a lot of time sparring with Mako and anyone else who offered. He spent a lot of time pacing his room, trying to follow his therapist’s instructions and work through some of his trauma. He spent a lot of time wandering the almost barren halls of the Shatterdome, lost in his own head.

On one such day, when Raleigh was meandering his way through the basement level, trying to map the labyrinthine floor in his head, he heard a voice call out to him.

“Mister Becket. A moment if you please.” Raleigh smiled-he’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“What’s up Hermann?” He asked cheerfully. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

“Newton and I were wondering…” Hermann trailed off, looking at the wall over Raleigh’s shoulder.

“If you wanna get in on this,” Newt finished. Hermann rolled his eyes affectionately and chuffed Newt on the shoulder. There was a dusting of pink on his high cheekbones as he cleared his throat.

“What he means to say,” Hermann continued, “is that we wanted to know if you would like to join us. In our relationship.” Raleigh’s brows shot up.

“Are you serious?” he blurted in disbelief.

“Of course,” Hermann scoffed. “This is a serious matter. We have considered it from all angles, very thoroughly.” Raleigh almost chuckled at the phrasing.

“What do you say?” Newt asked quickly. He was nearly bouncing with excitement. Raleigh took a deep breath; let it out slow. His head was kind of swimming, and it wasn’t helping that they were both looking at him so intensely with their wide eyes.

“I’d like that. A lot, actually,” he said finally, feeling some kind of weight lift off his chest.

“Excellent,” Hermann said, smiling warmly in that way that made his eyes crinkle. Something stirred in Raleigh’s chest.

“Do you wanna come over for a movie then? Later tonight?” Newt asked. His eyes were sparkling. Raleigh’s heart sank. Was that supposed to be a euphemism? Did they mean just sex? Was he okay with just sex, if that’s what they were asking? He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug.

“I don’t see why not.” Newt clasped his hands in front of him.

“Awesome.” Hermann reached up to wrap a hand around Newt’s bicep, squeezed gently. Raleigh looked away.

“We will see you tonight then, Raleigh. My room,” Hermann said, barely loud enough for Raleigh to hear. Then, he turned and started pulling Newt down the hallway. They walked in sync, even as they started to argue and gesture. Raleigh couldn’t help the small smile that tugged on his lips. He turned and walked down the hallway to his room. He had a “date” to prepare for.

 

Raleigh started to get nervous as he stood outside Hermann’s door. He had grabbed his condom case (full) and probably more packets of lube than was strictly necessary and stashed them in his hoodie. He was shifting his weight from foot to foot when the door swung open.

“Hey Raleigh, how are you, how ya been? It’s been so long since we’ve seen you,” Newt said, grinning. Raleigh chuckled at him, and mussed up his hair as he passed him to get into the room. Hermann was already set up on their ratty couch (hauled in from the lab as it was cleaned out) sitting on a pile of pillows. When he saw Raleigh he smiled that soft smile again. Raleigh smiled back, waving a little.

“Hi Hermann,” he said.

“Hello Raleigh,” Hermann replied. He shifted slightly and patted the seat next to him, fluttering his long eyelashes. Raleigh swallowed and edged his way over to sit next to him. Newt closed and locked the door and then took a running leap for the spot next to Raleigh. He immediately got up in Raleigh’s personal space, snuggling into his side. Raleigh’s mouth went dry.

“Oh, dude, pop your shoes off,” Newt said suddenly, kicking Raleigh’s ankle gently. “Kick back, relax. Hermann decided we’re watching WALL-E.”

“Oh, I love that movie. I saw it when I was a kid.” Hermann made a noise. Raleigh looked over at him. “What?” he asked, smiling a little self-consciously.

“I was nearly twenty when this film came out,” Hermann muttered through his fingers.

“And he cries every time he watches it,” Newt said, leaning in to speak to Raleigh conspiratorially. Hermann scoffed.

“I do not, Newton,” he insisted. Newt giggled high in his throat. Raleigh flushed at the sound.

“You’re right babe. Sometimes you fall asleep.” Newt laughed loud as Hermann threw a pillow at him. Raleigh tried to sink into the couch. He was suddenly wildly uncomfortable. He had no idea how he fit into their dynamic. Did they really want him here?

Newt swiped the remote off the TV stand and easily settled back into Raleigh’s side. He wriggled around until he was comfortable against him and finally hit ‘play’ on the menu.

As the movie started, Hermann reached up and started running his fingers through Raleigh’s hair. Raleigh made a little noise in his throat. He swallowed-was this foreplay for them? Was this really happening? Hermann ran his blunt fingernails against Raleigh’s scalp. Newt was absentmindedly tracing patterns on the back of Raleigh’s hand. They were both still watching the movie intently. Raleigh swallowed again.

About halfway through the movie, Raleigh felt Hermann’s hand start to go slack against his head. He glanced over to see Hermann’s head falling to one side, hovering just above Raleigh’s shoulder. He made a small noise and Newt glanced over at them. He smiled softly, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Told you,” he said softly, reaching up to stroke Hermann’s cheek. He seemed to be suddenly struck with an idea, as he sat up straighter, suddenly looking intensely into Raleigh’s face. “Hey, do you want a massage? You’re like, super tense, and I’ve been told I’ve got the magic touch.” He was already working one hand into the muscle in the junction between Raleigh’s neck and shoulder as he said it. Raleigh shifted slightly, glanced down at Hermann. Was this Newt making a pass at him? Had they worked something out before Raleigh got there?

“Uh, why not?” he said, and he barely regretted it as he saw the sparkle in Newt’s eye again. Newt fumbled around until he was straddling Raleigh’s sides with his calves, propped up on the back of the sofa. He gently rolled Hermann until he was comfortably snoozing in the pillow pile. He reached up and started by running his fingers through Raleigh’s hair in much the same way Hermann had done earlier. Raleigh glanced at Hermann in his periphery and swallowed. Newt quickly worked his way down Raleigh’s back, expertly pressing the tension from Raleigh’s tired muscles. Raleigh couldn’t hold in a groan as Newt’s fingers worked on the muscles over his ribs, tickling his scars and releasing tension he hadn’t known was there.

“You like that, big guy?” Newt asked with a playful chuckle. Raleigh blushed fiercely.

“What if I said no?” He wouldn’t have.

“I’d know you were lying,” Newt said, humming. Raleigh could hear the grin in his voice. Newt continued working at the muscles in Raleigh’s lower back for a moment in silence. He must have still been paying attention to the movie because he mumbled, “This is the part Hermy cries at.”

“‘Hermy’?” Raleigh asked before he could stop himself.

“I like giving annoying nicknames. I’m gonna come up with some more for you too, cuz I’ve only got ‘guy’ and ‘big guy’ for now, and neither of those is sappy or romantic enough.” Raleigh choked on his own dry mouth, and sputtered a weak apology. Newt slipped back onto the couch cushion and rubbed soothing circles into Raleigh’s back.

“Why are you so nervous?” Newt asked, clearly amused.

“I don’t know,” Raleigh lied. Newt narrowed his eyes at him, but didn’t push. Raleigh knew that Newt could see through him, and he shifted nervously on the couch again. Hermann snorted quietly and shifted so he was propped against Raleigh’s side once more. Newt leaned his head on Raleigh’s shoulder and quickly drifted off as well. Raleigh let out a long sigh, as soon he felt Newt’s breathing even out. They really had just wanted to watch a movie. He hadn’t misunderstood them, and they actually wanted to date him. Raleigh suddenly remembered the conversation he had had with Mako weeks ago and he had to bite down on a groan at his own stupidity.

He let himself relax into the warmth of the two men at his sides. He fell asleep as the credits of the movie were rolling, arms trapped at his sides but more comfortable than he’d ever been.

When Raleigh woke, his neck was stiff, but he was warm and content. The previous night came back to him slowly, and he allowed himself to smile goofily.

“Good morning, Raleigh,” Hermann murmured, pressing a sleepy, feather-light kiss to Raleigh’s jaw. He rolled his neck, shifted on the pillows, stretched out his legs one at a time.

“Did I wake you?” Raleigh asked in return, his voice hoarse with sleep. Hermann smiled tiredly.

“Not as such. I have been up quite some time. I suppose I am still not used to being able to sleep.” Raleigh smiled sadly.

“I get that.” There was sudden movement on Raleigh’s other side, and Hermann smiled wide. Newt jolted into sitting, blinking blearily.

“Good morning, my love,” Hermann cooed. Raleigh chuckled. Newt turned his head slowly; blinked again.

“Mornin baby,” he slurred. “You too stud.” He pressed a little kiss to one of Raleigh’s pecs before he stumbled up off the couch and into the adjoining bathroom. Raleigh blushed, and Hermann giggled at his side.

“He is a fright in the mornings. Apparently I am too. You’ll get used to it quick enough.” Raleigh’s face pulled into a wide smile. He’d get used to it. It was still amazing to him that they actually wanted him around, not just for his body. It was strange, in the most pleasant way possible. He felt like he should thank them or something equally stupid, just to let this feeling out into the world.

Newt wandered back into the living room after they heard the rush of water through the pipes, and the sound of Newt swearing as he undoubtedly splashed water all over himself. He plopped himself directly in Raleigh’s lap, and leaned over to give Hermann a chaste kiss on the lips.

“You brushed your teeth,” Hermann said fondly. Newt nodded tiredly.

“Mouthwash too. God, you are really warm, you know that?” He leaned his head back on Raleigh’s chest and looked up at him when he addressed him. “I think I finally get the whole ‘human space heater’ thing Hermann.” Hermann chuckled, laced his fingers through Raleigh’s. Raleigh chuckled, and Newt snuggled further into Raleigh’s chest at the sound and the movement that radiated through him. Raleigh relaxed against the couch. This really would be a wonderful way to spend the rest of his life. He could get used to it.


End file.
